Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

It is election day 2026, and Paul Rieckhoff is wide awake before sunrise in New York with one message: expect the unexpected. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the US has been quietly striking Iran for weeks. The Pentagon hasn't held a routine press briefing since May 5th. Tucker Carlson is warning that Netanyahu is pressuring Trump toward a tactical nuke strike on Pickaxe Mountain. And a cornered Trump — if the walls close in tonight — is the most dangerous Trump we have ever seen. This is no-BS analysis from a combat veteran and institutional watchdog who refuses to let the election news cycle bury the war machine cranking up behind it.

From there Paul breaks down the political theater: Trump's embarrassing closing argument at what he dubs the Trump reflecting pool, Haley Stevens breaking with Democrats to endorse Mike Rogers, Kathy Hochul shine-vampiring Mamdani and AOC with a Buffalo Bills bit nobody from the Bronx is buying, and Mark Cuban channeling the growing none-of-the-above energy. Then the real headline: 35 independent veterans running for office this cycle, every one of them endorsed by Independent Veterans of America, from Dan Osborn in Nebraska to Seth Bodnar in Montana to Todd Achilles in Idaho. This is the independent wave the cable networks won't name. Tune in, then go vote.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the eve of election day, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Ty Pinkins — Army veteran of 21 years, three combat tours, Bronze Star recipient, Georgetown-trained attorney, and the independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Mississippi — for a no-BS conversation about what the rigged two-party system actually does to Black voters in the South. Pinkins lays out, with receipts going back to 1982, how the national Democratic Party keeps running doomed candidates in Mississippi not to win, but to harvest Black turnout for the next presidential cycle. He names names: Obama, Clinton, Schumer, Warnock, Booker, Benny Thompson. And he reveals that the only people who have offered him money to drop out are Democrats.

The conversation widens into the bigger story of 2026: six independent veterans running for Senate in six states, a media establishment that literally refuses to put independent candidates on its election maps, and a generation of young Americans leaving both parties at a rate of 10,000 a week. Paul and Ty get into the smears, the phone calls, the Christian conservative women crossing over, the Black elders in Vicksburg saying "this is what we've been waiting on," and why loyalty in politics has to run both ways. This is a dispatch from the front lines of the independent revolt — and a preview of the reckoning coming to both parties whether they're ready or not.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Darlene Graham, Ken Paxton & the Herschel Walker problem. PLUS: Alaska’s dirty trick and the indy surge. Media Blitz Pod

Obama snatched the mic. That's the story heading into the final stretch — a more popular, more charismatic communicator back on the trail hammering corruption in Georgia with Jon Ossoff, while Trump's approval craters near 30 and his hand-picked candidates collapse under their own weight. Darlene Graham is on the ticket because she's Lindsey Graham's sister. Ken Paxton is Ken Paxton. The Herschel Walker problem is back, and independents — 37% of voters in Ohio alone — are fleeing in droves. Meanwhile Trump gives safe harbor to Flavio Bolsonaro while Kansas farmers wonder if they'll be able to plant in the spring.

Then there's Alaska, where New York Times reporting caught Democrats plotting to run a same-name decoy against Senator Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. It's the kind of dirty trick that reminds everyone why they're sick of the rigged two-party system — and why independent veteran candidates like Dan Osborn, Seth Bodnar, Brian Bengs, and Todd Achilles are surging against incumbents. Paul and the panel — Wendy Davis, Shermichael Singleton, and Stephanie Grisham — break down the casting disasters, the Obama resurgence, the Alaska scandal, and the independent surge that could reshape the Senate map.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One week out from Election Day 2026, the country is staring at a split screen that tells you everything about the rigged two-party system. Barack Obama is finally deployed to Georgia and Michigan trying to pull Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms across the line. Donald Trump is on the same stage at the same hour cracking jokes about men's backsides while his approval sits near 30 and Flavio Bolsonaro — under investigation for financial crimes and screaming rigged election — gets safe harbor from the White House. Ohio, Georgia and Alaska are all down to the wire, and a bizarre New York Times scoop just revealed Democratic operatives engineered a second "Dan Sullivan" onto the Alaska ballot to sow confusion against the Republican incumbent.

Paul Rieckhoff brings the no-BS read across two News Nation panels, breaking down why corruption is now the single most powerful issue cutting across left, right and center — and why independent veterans like Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Seth Bodnar in Montana, Todd Achilles in Idaho and Brian Bengs in South Dakota are the real story of this cycle. He takes on the spin from both sides, warns Democrats about spiking the ball early, and lays out why 45% of Americans aren't looking to switch jerseys — they're looking for a door out of the whole stadium.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI’s threat to both parties? Osborn’s race in Nebraska. Trump loves talking about asses. Friday Football.

Two days out from the election, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with one of his longest-standing mentors: Senator Bob Kerrey. Combat-wounded Navy SEAL, Medal of Honor recipient, former governor of Nebraska, former presidential candidate, and one of the sharpest no-BS voices in American politics. Kerrey lays out why trust, not ideology, is the dominant issue on the ballot, why Elon Musk's $150 million bet on Ken Paxton in Texas should alarm every American, and why the unauthorized war in Iran may be the most tragic of the three forever wars this generation has lived through.

From Dan Osborn's neck-and-neck race in Nebraska to the dark-money avalanche crushing independent candidates in every battleground state, Kerrey calls it straight. He talks veteran isolation, the vortex of self-pity, and why hanging onto your tribe is a matter of life and death. He makes the case for divided government, warns Democrats not to overreach if they win, and reminds everyone that the political leadership asking us to do easy things will never produce the America worth fighting for. Then Paul and Bob roll into Football Friday with Georgia-Florida, Nebraska-Washington, Lions-Vikings, and Chiefs-Broncos.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deadlock in Israeli Elections. Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Fleeing Brazil. Remember Alex Pretti?

Idaho is one of the most independent-minded states in America, and for the first time in a generation it has an independent on the ballot who can actually win. Todd Achilles — army veteran, longtime public servant, and the first candidate endorsed by Independent Veterans of America — is within single digits of Jim Risch, an 83-year-old incumbent who won't debate, refuses town halls on the Iran war and the farm bill, and voted against the PACT Act. Paul Rieckhoff gets under the hood with Achilles on how a one-man-band truck campaign became a national story, why Republicans and Democrats alike are breaking toward him, and what the dark money machine is about to unload in the final days.

This conversation is a field report from the front line of the independent movement. Achilles and Rieckhoff dig into the closed-primary trap that forces Idahoans to register Republican just to vote, the 45%-plus of Americans who no longer have a party, and the coordinated attacks from Trump and Hillary Clinton alike warning voters not to "waste" their vote on independents. Paul also hits the day's headlines — Bolsonaro landing in Miami after fleeing Brazil, the deadlocked Israeli elections, and the forgotten murder of Alex Pretti. If you want to know what the next America looks like, it looks a lot like Todd Achilles grinding out two yards at a time in Idaho.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MS Senate Race Tightens—the Indy is Ignored. Jay-Z for Super Bowl Halftime. Brewers Fever!

We are less than one week from the most consequential election of our lifetime, and Trump is already attacking it. Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the three-plan playbook for election interference — the military (and why Chairman Dan Caine may say no), ICE at the polls, and plan C: a million-dollar bounty paid out to any 'wahoo' who claims to spot voter fraud. Bolsonaro is reportedly fleeing Brazil for Florida. Netanyahu may be next. Mar-a-Lago is becoming a safe harbor for strongmen, and right-wing podcasters are pre-loading the 'rigged' narrative in case Democrats win.

From there: Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch would darken 75,000 graves at Arlington Cemetery for 280 days a year — another unpopular move veterans will fight. JD Vance continues his 'why I should clearly never be president' tour. In Mississippi, independent veteran Ty Pickens is polling 6% in a Senate race the media refuses to acknowledge is a three-way. And a viral No Kings protest clip is a reminder that independent does not mean neutral. Anger alone is not enough — turn it into impact. Four independent veteran Senate candidates — Achilles, Bengs, Osborn, Bodnar, Pickens — need boots on the ground right now.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seven days out. The marathon is almost over, and the 90 million independents who have been written off, condescended to, and told they don't really exist are about to decide every close race in the country. Paul lays out why this moment belongs to independents, why the Democrats need Barack Obama as their closer, and why Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is in genuine trouble in New York's 17th against combat veteran Cait Conley — whose breakout ad ran straight through the Giants game this weekend.

From there, Paul connects the dots to Israel's election this week, where Netanyahu faces former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in what looks increasingly like Israel's own referendum on extremism — a mirror of the test American voters face at home. He closes with a straight talk on the fake-work theatrics choking the final week — the McDonald's cosplay, the bus-driving photo ops, the pretend-to-dig-a-hole ads — and why voters want politicians who understand what it's like to only be able to afford McDonald's, not politicians who dress up to serve it.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hegseth Broke Eisenhower’s World. Bloomberg - $80M to Dems. Vance Sells Out Ukraine and Continues to Suck.

The partisan machine is scared, and it's showing. In episode 658, Paul Rieckhoff goes solo to answer the growing chorus of independent-haters — from Hillary Clinton's smear of Matthew McConaughey on Kara Swisher's show to the online pundits recycling the tired "hidden partisan" talking point against the 45% of Americans who refuse to put on a jersey. Paul lays out why that smear falls apart the second you look at Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana, where a vote for the Democrat is the actual spoiler. He also celebrates Sara Haines doing on The View what McConaughey did on Kara Swisher — breaking the seal, giving millions of Americans permission to declare their independence out loud.

From there it's a full media blitz: Pete Hegseth's staff physically broke General Eisenhower's World War II globe trying to haul it into the SecDef's office, Mike Bloomberg cut Democrats an $80 million check while independent candidates fight on fumes, JD Vance went on tape telling Ukraine to stop bombing Russian energy facilities, Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" to his face, and new reporting shows the GRU hacked Jared Kushner's phone and watched the money flow in from MBS and MBZ. Corruption is the story. Independents are the answer. And the duopoly's chokehold is dying faster than they want you to know.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Something is cracking in the Midwest. Iowa farmers are staring at $1,000 fill-ups for their tractors, fertilizer costs through the roof, and a White House that only remembers rural America two weeks before an election. Meanwhile Donald Trump is spending $1.2 billion of taxpayer-adjacent money on an East Wing ballroom, a triumphal arch, a Garden of Heroes, and a plan to repaint the Eisenhower building because he thinks it should be whiter. Paul Rieckhoff joins Katie, Carrie Dan of the Cook Political Report, Mike Nellis, and McKay Coppins to connect the dots between the vanity projects, the $8 billion farmer bailout nobody trusts, and a corruption narrative that is finally landing with independent voters.

The panel digs into Dan Osborn's independent run against Cubs part-owner Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, Tarek the wheelchair-dragging Iowa Democrat scrambling the governor's race, and why Trump is campaigning in the one Iowa district that isn't competitive. McKay Coppins unpacks the sea change in evangelical politics — how "Christian values" quietly became a political signifier instead of a religious one. And Paul lays out why eat-the-rich sentiment, the same force that just took down Orban in Hungary, is coming for an American political class that forgot who it works for. If you want to understand the terrain heading into the next cycle, this is the conversation.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

93 counties, 200 events, and riding a wave McConaughey just supercharged. Iran, the USS Lincoln, and Christmas on a credit card.

Dan Osborn is back for a record sixth appearance, and he's walking into the final stretch of the most-watched Senate race in the country. Running as a true independent against Pete Ricketts — a sitting senator from a billionaire family that owns the Chicago Cubs — Osborn has outworked, out-hustled, and out-organized a $50 million machine. Fourteen counties left on a ninety-three county tour. More than two hundred public events. Small-dollar donations from all fifty states. And a message that is cutting through: less than two percent of Congress comes from people who punch a clock, and that is exactly why nothing gets done.

Paul and Dan dig into the mechanics of a dead-heat race, the Matthew McConaughey moment and what star power finally means for the independent movement, and the sucking chest wound of the Iran war — the USS Abraham Lincoln, the attempted suicides on board, service members paying their own way home, and a Congress of jellyfish refusing to invoke the War Powers Act. Dan also gets honest about the cost at home: Christmas on a credit card, groceries climbing, paychecks flat. Then Football Friday closes it out, because the man is a Nebraska guy and the Cornhuskers are back.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Musk’s Starlink shutdown blindsides Kyiv. Bodnar, Osborn, Achilles, Bengs & the indy vets shaking up the Senate. Media Blitz Pod

Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane on News Nation with retired Air Force Special Operations Commander Glenn Ignazio to call the Ukraine pivot what it is: a 180. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff addressed Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" — a word for a man who has indiscriminately killed civilians from Odessa to Bucha and is still shipping lethal aid to Iran. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports Elon Musk himself ordered the Starlink/Starshield throttle that blindsided Ukrainian forces mid-fight, a precedent Glenn calls unprecedented and dangerous: a civilian defense contractor unilaterally shutting off a battlefield capability. Zelensky is signaling openness to freezing the front lines to get to a ceasefire — not to surrender territory — but only if Putin stops the bombing and shows up to the table.

Then Paul turns to the political front. Independents are now 45% of American voters, dwarfing registered Democrats, and a wave of independent veterans is making the 2026 Senate map real: Seth Bodnar surging in Montana, Dan Osborn neck-and-neck in Nebraska, Todd Achilles climbing in Idaho, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, Ty Pickens in Mississippi. Paul calls Matthew McConaughey's recent push the "McConaughey moment" — the breakout that cracks the rigged two-party system wide open. Whether you came up MAGA, Democrat, or neither, this one connects the dots between forever wars, gas prices at home, and why the parties don't want you to hear from the people actually running to fix it.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Iran forever war, the McConaughey moment, no debates and a rigged fight by design.

Paul Rieckhoff sits down with retired Marine Colonel Matt Baker, the independent veteran running for Congress in Virginia's 2nd District — a shipyard-and-base-heavy stretch of coastline where readiness is being ridden into the deck and families are watching their sailors cycle in and out of the Iran war. Baker is a Naval Academy grad, a combat veteran of Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and a battalion commander in Afghanistan who's now running against a Republican incumbent and a Democratic former Navy commander — two candidates with roughly $7 million each. Baker's campaign has $6,800. The local paper didn't bother to mention him. There has been exactly one formal debate across all 12 Virginia congressional races. By design.

This is the Matthew McConaughey moment made concrete. Paul and Matt get into the readiness crisis in Norfolk, why families won't talk about Iran out loud, the mechanics of a two-party system that functions as a cage match, and why Baker refuses to play kingmaker for either side. They also get into what it means to run as an independent when the players are also the referees — and why a 34% path to victory in a three-way race is the kind of fight a Marine infantry officer actually welcomes. If you want to understand what the independent movement looks like at the district level — not as theory, but as $6,800 and a pair of boots — start here.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The independent movement had a breakout weekend, and Paul Rieckhoff walks you through every piece of it. Matthew McConaughey went public with a message that lit up phones across the country — a Hollywood heavyweight planting a flag for the plurality of Americans who refuse to put on a jersey. In a deep-red state most pundits wrote off, independent veteran Brian Bengs is now tied with GOP Senator Mike Rounds at 43-42. And a new report says Elon Musk personally asked Donald Trump to throttle Starlink speeds in Ukraine — hampering drone defenses while Ukrainian kids were dying. If true, it's treasonous. Full stop.

Paul connects the dots between a rising independent slate — Bengs, Osborn, Bodnar, Achilles — and the cultural permission structure a figure like McConaughey can unlock for a 2028 run that could rival Ross Perot's 20%. He breaks down the ex-press secretary disaster that captured the Trump administration in one clip, the real story behind Coast Guard recruiting numbers nobody is telling you, and finishes on something genuinely inspiring: Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade carrying out the first unmanned ground drone evacuation of a wounded soldier in combat history. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, and a movement that is finally being heard.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

National Guard spotted at DC drop boxes. Four more years? The third-term flirt returns. Media Blitz Pod

Senator Mark Warner — the top Democrat on Senate Intelligence — just said the quiet part loud: the greatest threat to American election integrity is not Russia, not China, not Iran. It's the sitting president of the United States. On this episode of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff and the panel break down what that assessment actually means, why National Guard troops standing near DC drop boxes should alarm every voter regardless of party, and how the MAGA machine is priming the public to accept a stolen outcome before a single vote is counted.

This is the playbook Trump always runs — he telegraphs the punch before he throws it. Plan A is the active-duty military. Plan B is ICE. Plan C is sicking the MAGA hordes on the system. The panel walks through the Eisenhower-era law banning armed federal agents at the polls, the bipartisan Gottheimer-Bacon letter asking members to pledge to seat election winners, and the very real possibility of a Supreme Court moment if Trump tries to delay or disqualify results. If you care about the republic surviving the next twelve months, this is the briefing to hear.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Paul Rieckhoff hits the news circuit for a rapid-fire breakdown of a week where the wheels came off the Trump foreign policy machine. Elon Musk throttled Starlink in the middle of Russia's winter bombing campaign against Ukrainian civilians — and Republican Senator Thom Tillis called it what it is: participating in mass murder. Putin keeps pumping the pedal down. Zelensky gets a hero's welcome in London while America looks like the bad guy. And one tech billionaire is now the linchpin of a sovereign nation's defense, which is exactly the privatized national security nightmare we warned about.

From there Paul widens the aperture to the midterms, where 45% of the electorate now refuses to wear a jersey. Independent veterans like Dan Osborn in Nebraska and Seth Bodnar in Montana are surging because voters are done with the rigged two-party system. Rahm Emanuel says Romney Republicans are up for grabs. The generic ballot has independents leaning Democratic by 10 points. And Paul lands the argument nobody in DC is making out loud: end the Iran war, gas prices come down, Trump's poll numbers move. Everything else is spray and pray.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The drone revolution is here. F1, Cadillac, and the sports-defense overlap. Plus: Friday Football Picks

Kevin Baron — founder of Elevation Global Strategies, former Defense One executive editor, and one of the sharpest national security minds in the business — joins Paul fresh off the AUSA conference in Washington. Forty thousand people. Seven hundred companies. Anduril and Palantir surrounded by throngs waiting for a meeting. Pete Hegseth on stage getting repeatedly disrupted by Code Pink protestors who registered their way in. And underneath all of it, a $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal, a drone revolution rewriting what a modern military even looks like, and private capital pouring into the sector at a pace Baron says he's never witnessed before. This is the war economy the cable news cycle keeps missing.

From there, Paul and Kevin connect the dots most people don't see: how Formula 1, NASCAR, and the global sports boom are now a live test track for American defense technology, why GM Defense brought a Cadillac F1 car to AUSA, and what Austin's rise as a defense-innovation hub tells us about where the money and the talent are actually heading. They talk the Trump brothers' Florida ecosystem, the Neo Primes squeezing Lockheed and Boeing, the live sandboxes of Ukraine and Iran, and the dangerous short-termism baked into this moment. Plus Football Friday picks, Explosions in the Sky, and why the Washington Commanders is still a terrible name. If you want to understand the machine behind the headlines, this is the conversation. If you want to know what’s happening next in global security, this is your show.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out Elevation Live and everything Kevin works on.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Indiana isn't supposed to be where the independent movement breaks through. It's a deep-red state, 41st in voter turnout, where 95% of the legislature is effectively decided in May primaries by a sliver of the electorate. That's exactly why Greg Ballard — Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, two-term Republican mayor of Indianapolis, and now independent candidate for Secretary of State — is running. Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Ballard a few weeks out from Election Day to talk about why he walked away from the GOP, what it cost him to even get his name on the ballot, and why this race matters far beyond Hoosier country.

Ballard lays out the math of a rigged two-party system: 244 independents ran in Indiana's last two cycles and 52% of them won — because voters know them. He breaks down the punitive 37,000-signature requirement, the $700,000 price tag to collect them, and the two-percent threshold on election night that would clear the path for every independent who comes next. This is a conversation about ballot access as the ground war of the independent movement, about Marine Corps leadership applied to civic repair, and about what it looks like when a candidate refuses to go negative, refuses to endorse, and refuses to play by the duopoly's rules.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donald Trump is in full spray-and-pray mode. One day he's threatening Iran and Cuba, the next he's cutting a diesel deal with the Kremlin and backstabbing Ukraine again. Vladimir Putin ignored Trump's latest ceasefire within hours, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board noticed. Most Americans and most American veterans still stand with Ukraine. The president does not speak for them. In this media blitz episode, Paul Rieckhoff joins Alicia Menendez and veteran national security reporter David Rhode to name what's actually happening: Zelensky is emerging as the real leader of the free world while the American president plays political bandwagon.

Then the conversation turns to Pete Hegseth and his pitch to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter. Paul calls it what it is — a culture war bender, spectacle over substance, and a Pentagon secretary auditioning for a 2028 run. David Rhode, who spent seven months as a Taliban hostage, explains why a public execution is a jihadist recruiting tool, not a deterrent. This is a no-BS breakdown of a presidency that keeps handing wins to our enemies, a Pentagon chasing viral moments instead of victories, and an independent movement that refuses to let either party define what strength actually looks like.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PLUS: Newsom, the 25th, and a failure of imagination by the democrats heading into the midterms.

Trump floated the idea that Ukraine needs a new president because Zelensky keeps hitting Russian oil refineries and that's driving fuel prices up. Paul Rieckhoff flips the frame: Ukraine doesn't need a new president — America does. From a creek in the Catskills, with his boys skipping rocks in the background, Paul lays out why the most important story in the world is still that Donald Trump commands the most powerful military ever built and nothing — not the courts, not the Democrats, not even a Congressional majority — is currently positioned to stop him. This is a solo episode, raw and unvarnished, built for the stretch of political dread between now and the next election.

Paul walks through the hard math of 2026: even if Democrats take the House, even if they impeach Hegseth, even if they deny the $1.5 trillion budget request, the forever wars keep going — because Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump all proved they do. He makes the case for a failure-of-imagination warning (Venezuela, Iran, Cuba are all on the board), calls out Gavin Newsom invoking the 25th Amendment, and challenges both parties to say out loud what they'll actually do if they win power. Then he closes with something good: Emerson, public lands, indigenous history, and the reminder that a change of latitude really can change your attitude. Mental health check included.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to http://cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Learn more aboutThe Headstrong Projectfor Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
• Read more atSubstack
• Support ad-free episodes atPatreon
• Connect: Instagram • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.

-And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.

And now part of the BLEAV network!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.